Economic crimes judge Humberto Otazú rejected the motions presented by the defense teams and admitted the charges against former Ciudad del Este mayor Miguel Prieto and six other defendants in the Tajy case. The decision moves the case to an oral and public trial. This is a procedural step, not a conviction.
The Public Prosecutor's Office accuses Prieto of breach of trust, self-dealing, and criminal association in a 2020 municipal contract to purchase supplies for making bread and food kits during the pandemic. According to the prosecution, the emergency procedure was allegedly directed to favor the company Tajy Servicios Generales.
The prosecutors maintain that the company lacked the economic capacity, technical capability, and sufficient stock to fulfill the contract and that part of the goods paid for by the Ciudad del Este Municipality was allegedly not delivered. One report based on the accusation states the company was involved in drilling artesian wells. The alleged loss to municipal coffers is calculated at G. 306,188,500.
Prosecutor Silvio Corbeta stated that the work of the Comptroller General's Office and the National Directorate of Public Procurement pointed to limitations of the supplier and inconsistencies in the operation. He also said the motions presented by the defenses were rejected and that none of the criminal charges were dismissed at this stage.
Three other municipal administration employees accepted the facts attributed to them by the Prosecutor's Office and received a conditional suspension of the proceedings, according to Corbeta. Prieto and the six other accused will proceed to trial.
Prieto denies the accusations. The former mayor states the supplies were delivered, says he will prove his innocence at trial, and maintains the case is politically motivated. The allegation of persecution is a position of the defense and was not established by the judicial decision.
Corbeta also denied reports that the trial had been postponed until 2027. According to the prosecutor, the schedule initially set for May was moved to August because of the court's workload.